1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for shaping glass and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods for shaping glass including an engagement member with a flexible bumper and/or a push flange including a plurality of apertures.
2. Technical Background
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is known to provide an apparatus 101 for shaping a sheet of relatively thick glass sheet 103 having a thickness of greater than 1.6 mm, such as soda-lime glass having a thickness of from about 3.2 mm to about 6 mm. In operation, support pads 105 are provided for a supporting a lateral edge portion 107 of the glass sheet 103 due to the weight of the glass sheet 103 being levitated over a support surface 109. A push pad 111 is also provided to push an end edge portion 113 of the glass sheet 103 to force the glass sheet 103 to be pushed in the travel direction 115 into a heating device 117. The glass sheet 103 is levitated by an air cushion 201 over the support surface 109 by pressurized air 203.
FIG. 3 illustrates a conventional support pad 105 that is fabricated from stainless steel. The conventional support pad 105 comprises a rigid member with a plurality of flanges 301, 303, 305 and a back flange 307. The back flange 307 includes a plurality of apertures 309.
FIGS. 4-6 illustrate the conventional push pad 111. The push pad is likewise fabricated from stainless steel and includes a plurality of flanges 401, 403, 405 and a back flange 407. Unlike the flanges 401, 403, 405, the back flange 407 includes a plurality of apertures 409. As shown in FIG. 5, each of the push and support pad 105, 111 include a mounting structure 501 with a threaded bore 503 that may be mounted to a drive chain of the apparatus 101.
The support pad 105 and push pad 111 can be beneficial in certain applications but may cause damage (e.g., cracking) to relatively thin glass sheets and/or glass sheets having poor edge quality.